


True

by wickedthoughts



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood and Gore, Body Image, Bottom Sam, Claiming, Decapitation, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Menstruation, Non-Consensual Touching, Omega Sam, Past Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester, Rape/Non-con Elements, Restraints, Sex in the Impala, Sexism, Sibling Incest, Talk of Pregnancy, Violence, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:55:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5781439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedthoughts/pseuds/wickedthoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam hates everything about being turned Omega and tries to fight against the changes to his body and mind, but Dean makes that an impossibility.</p>
            </blockquote>





	True

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ereynolds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ereynolds/gifts).



> Another [prompt](http://wickedthoughts1.livejournal.com/18432.html?thread=36864#t36864) I received.
> 
> As a disclaimer, I have only written ABO once before. I'm not quite sure I've done it justice, but here you go. Read the warnings please. The Sam/Dean is all consensual, but there's some attempted rape preceding that.
> 
> Set during an alternate Season 1.

* * *

“You know what this is, boy?”

Sam struggled against the ropes binding him to the table. He didn’t know for sure what the milky white substance inside the glass Kate was holding was, but he could venture a few unpleasant guesses. He was afraid, but he didn’t let it show. The young Alpha hunter’s face twisted into a snarl.

“Do you have any idea what my brother and father will do to you once they track you down? Do you have any idea what _I’ll_ do to you once I get out of this?”

If the Beta vampire was afraid, she didn’t let it show. She smirked at his bravado.

“I’m not afraid of you, boy, Alpha or not. Hunter or not. Family or not. You were so easy to kidnap. A drugged beer, your idiot brother distracted by one of my pretty Betas, and here you are. And you want to know the sweetest part?”

Sam absolutely did not want to know what Kate considered to be the sweetest part of this nightmare. His left hand pulled desperately at the rope. It felt looser than the right, maybe he could slip it out in time.

“This is your brother’s,” Kate moved over by Sam’s head, swirling the glass of Alpha sperm mockingly. “Your brother is into all sorts of weird shit, as my Beta can attest. She collected so much of this, it was almost embarrassing. So, guess what? It’s gonna be your big brother’s Alpha juice that’ll turn you into a sweet little Omega bitch.”

“No.”

Sam growled, his left hand chafing against the rope. He’d suspected this was Kate’s plan- though he hadn’t thought she’d be sick enough to use Dean’s come to do it- but to hear it confirmed made his horrible speculations a concrete reality.

“Yes.”

Kate sneered, grabbing his long bangs and tipping his head back. Sam fleetingly wished that he hadn’t decided to grow his hair out at Stanford. He’d always liked it longer, but John had made him cut it short as a kid, so when he’d found himself free of John’s rules he’d leapt at the opportunity to express himself. Even when Dean came to get him at Stanford six months ago, even after losing Jess, he’d kept his hair long. Jess had liked it long-

He saw the glass coming toward his mouth, and he panicked, struggling manically. Futilely.

“No!”

He clenched his lips tightly shut, but there was nothing he could do to stop her from pinching his nose until he opened his mouth to gasp for air. She tipped the contents of the glass down his throat. For all his power, all his Alpha strength, he was bound and helpless to prevent Dean’s come from sliding past his lips. He choked and sputtered, shaking his head from side to side, but he could feel it pouring down his throat, into his belly, through his entire body. He knew what would happen next. The ruination of his Alpha body; his transformation into Omega.

“This is for Luther,” Kate was saying. “When you’re all sweet, hairless, and harmless, I’ll send you crawling back to your Daddy, and you tell him. You tell him this is what he gets for killing my mate.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself?”

Sam heard John’s voice, and he would have been relieved, if only his father had come five or even two minutes earlier. As it was, all he could feel was shame. There was a burning sensation in his gut as he felt Dean’s sperm invading his system. He’d always felt like the weakest member of the Winchester pack. Three strong Alpha hunters, often at each other’s throats. Well, he’d no longer be any threat to Dean or John.

“Oh god, Sammy, no.”

He heard Dean’s voice beside him, even as he heard the sounds of his father battling the powerful vampire. Dean was untying him, rolling him over, forcing fingers down Sam’s throat to try and make him vomit. Too little, too late, Sam thought bitterly as he retched.

There was the singing slice of a blade through bone, and Kate’s head came to rest a few feet away from Sam. He was too busy holding his churning stomach to feel much satisfaction.

*

His second year at Stanford, Jess had taken Sam to an LGBTQA-Straight Alliance meeting. He’d met some of his best friends there. Alphas, Betas, and Omegas who identified as men, women, both, and neither. Omegas who had known they were Omegas since they were children. Omegas who had undertaken the change just after presenting, when it would be easier on them and their bodies. Sam remembered that he had felt somewhat envious of those Omegas. He couldn’t imagine being so certain of who and what you were, especially at such a young age.

Now, Sam still might not know exactly who and what he was, but he did know who and what he _wasn’t._ He was never meant to be an Omega. He didn’t want it. More than that, he _hated_ it.

The physical changes were bad enough. He got smaller, though not by much. He was maybe half-an-inch shorter now, but still taller than Dean. His muscles faded and he grew embarrassingly weaker. His body fat redistributed to his hips, ass, and thighs, but he’d always been on the skinnier side when he wasn’t trying to bulk up, so he could hide his new curves with baggy jeans and oversized hoodies. As long as he didn’t get pregnant, he knew he could avoid growing noticeable breasts. His body hair fell out and never returned. He had his thick head of hair and his eyebrows, but that was it. He could no longer grow a beard, and his groin was as smooth as a child’s.

His cock and balls shrank away to almost nothing. He’d known that would happen, but it didn’t make it any less humiliating. Not two months after Kate forced him to drink Dean’s sperm, his balls were no more than the size of small grapes and his cock was barely more than an inch, and it no longer got hard. He missed the weight of his genitals. Feeling them swinging between his legs, cupping them in his hand, or jerking his cock in the shower. That was all gone. He had to sit to pee now. He still felt arousal, but it was different. A tingle in the head of his limp Omega cock, while his Omega cunt clenched with need and he did all he could to ignore the sensations. That Omega cunt had opened up in puffy folds right underneath what remained of his balls, and it would spew all sorts of foul-smelling liquids at random times. He could sometimes tell when one of those moments was approaching, because all the Alphas in his vicinity would stare at him with hungry eyes. Including his own father and brother.

The worst of all the changes were the changes to his mind; the way he felt and reacted. How hard he had to fight his biological responses to interested Alphas. How raw and emotionally needy he was now. Different than he’d been before, though he had a hard time explaining it. He cried more easily. He’d cried for nearly a day the first time he’d gotten his monthly bleeding.

He fucking hated it.

He knew Dean felt guilty about his transformation. How he’d been tricked into relinquishing his sperm to change Sam into an Omega. All through the initial pains of his transformation, Sam had grown tired of Dean’s apologies. Of the way his big brother had walked on eggshells around him. One day, about three weeks into the change, he’d physically attacked Dean, and the Alpha had let him win even though he clearly possessed the greater strength.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sam had screamed. “What kind of Alpha are you? If any of us should have been turned Omega, it was you!”

“Maybe,” Dean had said calmly underneath him, letting Sam’s weaker fists strike his face and chest. “But it wasn’t.”

“Fuck you,” Sam had howled, red-faced, leaving Dean on the floor as he stood and paced agitatedly. “Just- fuck you!”

“Sam,” Dean stood, straightening his shirt. “I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t fucking help me!”

“Sam,” Dean said, infuriatingly calm and quiet. “Stop. Come here.”

To his horror, Sam had found himself obeying. It wasn’t even a question or a thought. He just responded to the sound of Dean’s voice. His Alpha voice. Dean opened his arms and Sam fell into them, just like he was a child again, seeking comfort from his big brother. It felt so good to surrender, even if he hated himself for it.

“I hate this,” Sam sobbed into Dean’s shoulder as Dean held him. “I fucking hate this.”

“I know, Sammy,” Dean soothed in his gruff voice. “I know. But you’ll get through this. _We’ll_ get through this. Okay?”

“Okay,” Sam said, knowing that the promises were empty but believing them nonetheless.

*

Sam paused with his hand on the motel door as he heard Dean and John’s urgent voices inside. It had been nearly five months since his turning, and he’d snuck out for a six-pack, societal expectations about unescorted Omegas be damned. He’d only had to beat down one unruly Alpha, too, so he considered it a good night.

“I think you two might be true mates,” Sam heard John say. He tensed.

“Dad?” Dean’s voice sounded fearful.

“Oh, don’t tell me you hadn’t considered it.”

“No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. I had, but- ”

“He’ll only listen to you. Sometimes to me, if I raise my voice enough, but all you gotta do is _look_ at him and he gets all weak-kneed Omega. And I know he may still think he’s an Alpha, but you and I both know what he is, and that’s gonna lead to problems down the road if he ain’t claimed and mated properly.”

“But, Dad,” Dean’s voice was almost pleading. “That would kill him.”

“You always could talk sense into him-”

Sam reeled from the door. Wrong, this was all wrong. He didn’t even believe in the whole _true mates_ thing, as improbable and sentimental- downright _maudlin_ \- as it was. Sure, he felt that connection to Dean, that pull, that he’d felt with no one else since his transformation, but- but he still felt like an Alpha, damn it. He’d had it all planned out, his whole life as an Alpha. Found himself a strong Beta in Jess. One who could hold her own with him, while complementing his Alphaness. But then she’d died, because he’d been gallivanting off with Dean looking for John. More of their family’s bullshit ruining his life, before getting him turned into _this._

Rage filled him. He hated this, hadn’t wanted any of it. His life, his choices, none of it mattered to his father. His father’s lifestyle was what had gotten him turned in the first place. And Dean would go along with whatever John wanted, as was his way. Well, he knew just what to do about that. Thanks to his family, he knew how to hotwire a car. He knew how to escape. He’d done it before, and he’d do it again. Forever this time. He left the six-pack on the doorstep. A parting gift from their wayward Omega, he thought bitterly.

*

Two days later, a little after ten in the morning, the stolen Grand Am broke down outside some podunk town in rural Wyoming. Sam cursed the poor American craftsmanship before he walked into the town, ignoring the bite of the autumn air underneath his too-thin jacket. His eyes scanned for a new car he could hotwire, though he could probably use a hot meal and a cup of coffee first-

“Hey there, ‘Meggy. What’s a pretty thing like you doin’ out here all alone?”

Sam whirled indignantly to find an Alpha in a sheriff’s uniform gazing at him with concern. He looked to be five or six years older than Dean, and his face was handsomely kind. Sam could tell he was unmated.

“You in need of some assistance, sweetheart?”

“No, thanks,” Sam’s heart was racing and he could feel that awful hole between his legs secreting something into his boxers. “I’m just fine, officer.”

“Where’s your Alpha, ‘Meggy?”

“I don’t have one,” Sam said, annoyed. “I don’t _need_ one. I was an Alpha for twenty-three years before someone forced the change on me, and I’m pretty sure I’m still capable of taking care of myself.”

“Oh, you poor thing. All alone in this big, scary old world. Why don’t you come with me?”

“I’m _fine,”_ Sam insisted, but it was clear the sheriff wasn’t going to take _no_ for an answer. He grabbed Sam’s upper arm, and Sam couldn’t break free no matter how hard he tried. He hated himself for his weakness.

“You’re confused, sweetheart. It’s to be expected, if what you’ve told me is true. You just come along with Sheriff Tobin, he’ll take you to some nice folks who’ll help you out.”

“Goddammit! Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Language, ‘Meggy,” Sheriff Tobin said mildly. “Though I suppose that’s to be expected, too, considering your circumstances. What’s your name?”

“None of your fuckin’ business.”

“There’s no need for that, ‘Meggy. Now, I know you’ve had some hard times, but I’m just trying to help.”

“I. Don’t. Want. Your. Fucking. _Help.”_

“You know,” Sheriff Tobin said with false cheerfulness as he began to forcibly drag Sam by his arm. “If you’re not gonna keep a civil tongue in your head, maybe you should keep your pretty mouth shut. Hmm?”

“It’s 2006. How in the hell do you think it’s okay to treat people this way? Just ‘cause I’m a- an Omega, it’s not o-fucking-kay!”

The sheriff halted. Sam didn’t dare hope he’d made an impression. That proved a fair assumption when Sheriff Tobin struck him hard across the face, and Sam would have staggered if the sheriff hadn’t maintained his hold on Sam’s arm.

“I told you to keep your pretty mouth shut, ‘Meggy.”

Sam punched him in the mouth, making the sheriff let go of him. Sam took the opportunity to run. He made it a good five feet before Sheriff Tobin took him out with a tackle from behind. Sam lay dazed in the dirt, cursing his Omega strength. His legs were longer, but his speed was no match for the muscular Alpha pinning him to the ground. The sheriff sat on his back as he wriggled and fought.

“You little- ” Sheriff Tobin angrily wrestled Sam’s arms behind his back, snapping a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. “This is no way for a good Omega to behave.”

“No shit, you- ” Sam began, but to his horror he felt the sheriff forcing a cloth gag inside his open mouth. He screamed and bucked, to no avail.

“I’m taking you to the town council, ‘Meggy. They’re in session right now, and they’ll know just what to do with a hopeless case like you.”

He hauled Sam to his feet and frog-marched him down the street. Sam was vaguely aware of the idyllic shopfronts advertising ICE CREAM and BARBER in brightly colored vintage-looking fonts. Of course he’d break down in some town striving to be a 1950’s throwback. He shuddered to think of what the town council would do with him. He had a sudden, intense longing for Dean. His brother wouldn’t let them do this to him. He would’ve knocked this obnoxious sheriff out cold and taken Sam somewhere safe, and he would have done all of it without making Sam feel like some lesser creature-

Sam shook his head. Dean wasn’t here. He would have to get out of this on his own. He should be able to get out of this on his own.

“Through there, ‘Meggy.”

Sheriff Tobin prodded Sam between the shoulder blades, turning him towards the town hall. It was on the small side, made of red brick, and complete with white-paned windows and pillars. Welcome to fucking Mayberry, Sam thought hopelessly as the sheriff strong-armed him up the porch steps and through the front doors.

“Heya, Bert,” a beefy Alpha in a security guard uniform waved at the sheriff, looking at Sam curiously.

“Hello, Sheriff,” a pretty red-headed Beta said pleasantly as she looked up from the front desk. Her blue eyes widened when she took in the scene in front of her. “How can I help you today?”

“Hey, Mac. Delia. Got myself a runaway ‘Meggy that needs the council’s attention.”

“Oh, goodness,” Delia placed a hand over her heart. She was wearing a pink suit jacket that clashed with her hair color. “How awful. Let me call them right now.”

Delia picked up a phone and punched a button, speaking softly into the receiver. Sam became aware of Mac’s eyes watching him hungrily. He turned his head to glare daggers at the security guard. The Alpha looked utterly dumfounded that this strange Omega should look at him that way, and Sam smirked spitefully.

“They’ll see you right away, Sheriff.”

“Thanks, Delia.”

Sam was jostled down a hallway towards a set of double doors that loomed ominously at the end. Sheriff Tobin pulled them open and herded Sam inside. Nine Alphas sat behind the high desk at the head of the meeting room. There was a chorus of _Hi, Bert_ ’s that made Sam want to roll his eyes. He wisely managed to restrain himself. With so many Alphas surrounding him, he desperately willed his Omega body not to betray him.

“What have you got here, Bert?”

The Alpha sitting at the center of the council was a white man in his late fifties or early sixties. His face was lined with age and his close-cropped hair and beard were grey with flecks of black. Sam’s eyes flicked between all the Alphas sitting at the table, noticing they were all older white guys. Well, what else had he expected in a town like this?

“Lost little ‘Meggy,” Tobin explained congenially, giving Sam a gentle slap on the shoulder that made him startle and yelp behind his gag. “Won’t tell me where his Alpha is, wouldn’t even tell me his name, and he was givin’ me attitude so I had to subdue and restrain him.”

“Did he do that to your lip?”

The councilman’s incredulous question made Sam turn his head to get another look at the sheriff’s face. Sure enough, he’d managed to bust the Alpha’s lip. There was a dark spot of dried blood in the cut. Good, Sam thought with pride.

“Yeah,” Tobin laughed, his pride clearly wounded. “Ornery little ‘Meggy. Got a heck of a right hook on ‘im. Wasn’t expecting it.”

“No,” a different councilman spoke up. “Why would you?”

“Probably from one of those liberal cities,” a third councilman opined knowingly, shaking his head. “They fill people’s heads with all sorts of confusing nonsense, Alphas, Betas, and Omegas alike. This is what comes of disturbing the natural order.”

 _“You fucking redneck, take your ‘natural order’ and shove it up your ass!”_ Sam mumbled unintelligibly from behind the cloth in his mouth.

“Sounds like he’s got something to say,” the head councilman leaned forward in his seat. “Bert, why don’t you take that gag off and let him speak? Maybe he can tell us where he’s from and who his Alpha is.”

Tobin paused a moment before responding.

“Uh, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea Tom. He’s got a foul, disrespectful mouth on him.”

“Let us hear it for ourselves, Bert. Take off those handcuffs, too. Poor thing must be scared out of his mind, we should make him feel safe.”

Tobin shrugged and untied the gag. Sam spat and coughed, attempting to rid himself of the stale cotton taste. He glared at Tobin, jaw clenched with anger, as the sheriff moved behind him and unlocked the handcuffs.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

Sam looked back to the head councilman. Something warm, wet, and slick oozed between his legs and he hated it.

“My name is Sam,” Sam said icily, rubbing at his wrists. “And I’m not your sweetheart.”

The Alpha looked taken aback by Sam’s ire. All the councilmen did.

“Told you,” Tobin muttered.

“Alright, Sam,” the councilman tried again with forced cheeriness. “Why don’t you give us your Alpha’s name and we’ll see if we can track him down. He must be real worried about you.”

“Like I tried to tell your idiot sheriff, I don’t _have_ an Alpha. I just need something to eat and a bus ticket out of this shithole town.”

The council was momentarily speechless by Sam’s response. The sheriff was not.

“Mind your tongue, ‘Meggy!”

Tobin’s adamancy made Sam want to speak in nothing but four-letter words for the duration of the encounter.

“Bert, it’s- it’s okay,” said the head Alpha. “He’s telling the truth. Take a whiff of him, he’s unmated and unclaimed. Poor thing needs a good, strong Alpha to show him the way to be a proper Omega. Protect and cherish him. That’ll clear all these behavior problems right up.”

“You can’t be fucking serious. Is this town perpetually stuck in 1935?”

Sam knew he was being reckless. Downright foolish, but he didn’t care. His angry reactions spilled from his mouth. It was the only way he could fight back against the casual injustice he was being subjected to, made worse by the fact that the Alphas truly seemed to believe they were doing the right thing.

“So sad,” said a different councilman in a patronizing tone that made Sam’s blood boil.

“Bert, get all the unmated Alphas in town,” the head councilman directed. “We’re going to do this the old-fashioned way.”

“As opposed to the modern, progressive way you’ve been doing things so far?”

Sam was ignored.

“Seeing the severity of this Omega’s case, this afternoon we’ll have a claiming contest. The winner will take the Omega for his mate.”

“No fucking way!”

Sam was incensed at the idea of a town of strange Alphas fighting over him like a prize, a piece of meat. No fucking way.

“Things will get better, Sam. You’ll see. Once you have an Alpha to take care of you, you’ll feel so much better. An Alpha to honor and protect you, get you full of pups. Motherhood tends to soften even the hardest of hearts.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Sam was terrified at the way things were moving. “I won’t do it. You can’t make me.”

“You will do it, Omega,” the head councilman said sharply. “You will. You have no rights here. Your rights come from your Alpha, and you don’t have one.”

“No, wait, I- I do,” Sam lied desperately. He could at least get Dean here under the pretext. “I do, let me call him!”

“Very well,” the Alpha was clearly humoring him. “Call him. If he gets here in time, he can compete in the contest for you as well.”

“But- but he’s my Alpha,” Sam really hoped he was selling this. “There doesn’t need to be a contest.”

“If you do, in fact, have an Alpha, he’s been doing a terrible job with you. You’re not even properly mated and claimed yet. No, if you have an Alpha in the picture, he can win you so both of you can see the proper way for things to be done.”

“But- ”

“Enough,” the head councilman used his Alpha voice, startling Sam into temporary silence. “Do you have a cell phone on you?”

“Yeah,” Sam growled, glaring, looking the Alpha right in the eye to let him know he hadn’t intimidated Sam’s Omega nature at all.

“Good, use it. Call your Alpha.”

“You bet I fucking will.”

“Bert, take Sam to a holding cell and let everyone in town know what’s going on.”

“Sure thing, Tom.”

The handcuffs were reattached and Sam was pulled from the meeting room towards the jail portion of the town hall. It terrified him how quickly things had been moving since he got to this town. He remembered reading in school about things like this happening, even in modern times, but it had all seemed so abstract. He had never in a million years thought it would happen to him. He took some comfort from the thought of Dean blazing into this shitty little town once Sam called him.

“Make yourself at home, ‘Meggy.”

Sheriff Tobin opened the cell door with excessive force. Sam managed not to recoil. At least the cell was empty.

“See you this afternoon.”

The door was loudly closed behind him and the Alpha sheriff’s footsteps retreated from earshot. Sam sat shakily on the cot, wondering if Tobin would compete in the contest himself.

“No,” Sam spoke to himself out loud to ease his frantic heartbeat. “No, he won’t, because there’s not going to _be_ a fucking contest.”

He pulled his cell phone from his jeans and dialed Dean’s number.

*

Every single one of Dean’s numbers had gone to voicemail. So had John’s, when Dean’s last number had failed him and Sam had grudgingly tried turning to his father. Sam was worried about the implications of that, but he couldn’t expend that much worry on his father and brother, because he was too busy being scared out of his mind by the way the claiming contest was progressing.

Sheriff Tobin, Mac the security guard, and two other Alphas in law enforcement uniforms had come to get him from the holding cell. To his horror, they’d told him to strip naked and leave his clothes in the cell. When he’d angrily refused, they’d done it for him. He was proud that it had taken all four of them, plus two Beta security guards, to restrain, gag, and strip him, but he was mortified at the public display they’d made of his Omega body. His phone was still in the pocket of his jeans; he had no way to know if Dean or John had gotten his frantic messages in time. He held out hope that they had.

His escorts, all sporting bruises Sam had bestowed on them, had led him from the cell. There was a crowd of a little over a hundred people waiting outside the town hall. Probably the entire population of the town, Sam thought spitefully, as he flushed red under their scrutiny. He’d been too riled up to even feel the cold. He’d been led to the center of the town square where a new indignity had awaited. On a small, raised wooden stage there was a metal breeding stand, a larger version of something a breeder would use for a female dog.

 _“No fucking way!”_ Sam had screamed behind his gag, dragging his feet. _“Don’t you fucking put me in that thing!”_

A new struggle had ensued to get him restrained in the stand. A few more bruises later, the six locals had forced him to his hands and knees. So here he was, made to present himself like a bitch in heat for these yokels who would soon fight for the privilege of fucking him. His wrists were chained down, so were his calves. His knees were spread so as to better present the dripping hole between his legs. His midsection was strapped to a pole with a flat, cushioned top, and a similar configuration held his neck still. His face was burning with humiliation, and his heart pounded with fear. He’d stopped struggling when he realized it would get him nothing but exhaustion. A part of him was in shock; he still couldn’t believe this sort of barbarity was occurring in this day and age.

The town council was there, and the head councilman made a speech about tradition and community that Sam couldn’t hear above the roaring in his ears. The Alpha went over the rules, then invited any unmated Alphas up to the stage to stake a claim in the fight. Seven Alphas of varying age and size came to the stage. One of them was Sheriff Tobin, and the idea of becoming that man’s mate- his fucking broodmare- made Sam tremble with rage and shame.

More indignities, when the Alphas were invited to inspect Sam before staking a claim. Seven noses sniffed at him, seven pairs of eyes leered at his naked body, seven lips spoke soft promises of devotion to a pretty thing like him, and seven sets of hands ran over him until he wanted to shrink into himself and die. Fingers stroked between his legs, with the head councilman’s admonition that penetration would not be allowed until there was a winner of the contest. Fingers fondled the tiny nub of his cock and played with the pathetic remainders of his balls. Fingers probed at the outer folds of his cunt while Sam screamed and cursed and threatened. It did no good, and his traitorous body wouldn’t listen to his mind. By the time they were finished, Sam’s inner thighs were wet with his slick and he was tingling and panting with need. The seven Alphas’ eyes were wide and feral, and they were all sporting erections that couldn’t be hidden by their clothing.

There was a dangerous electricity in the air. Seven strong, virile Alphas desperate for a relief that would only be granted to one of them should he win a contest of physical prowess. They were egged on by the excitement of the crowd.

“Contestants, prepare yourselves.”

The head councilman’s voice was booming, and Sam raised his eyes curiously despite himself. The seven Alphas were disrobing, layer after layer, until they were as naked as Sam. They were all heavily muscled, their massive cocks pointing to the sky as their pendulous balls swung underneath. Sam was envious and ashamed, but to his horror he also found himself aroused further by the sight. He hated it, but he couldn’t stop staring.

“Fight for your claim!”

The Alphas fell upon each other like ravenous lions. Nothing seemed out of bounds, and Sam watched fists and teeth break skin and bones. He hated how much it excited him. He knew what would happen once it was over, and he didn’t want it. He didn’t, even if his body was trying to convince him otherwise. He didn’t want to be an Omega. He didn’t want to be claimed, mated, impregnated. He didn’t.

There was a scream as the youngest Alpha, about Sam’s own age, ripped into the belly of another Alpha with just his teeth. He kept going, until the wounded Alpha’s blood and viscera lay red on the ground and he stopped twitching. Sam was horrified, though he chided himself for his surprise at the degree of savagery. But why shouldn’t it be a fight to the death? These people were as bad as the monsters he, Dean, and John hunted. Maybe worse, since they didn’t have the excuse of hunger. At least witnessing the murder had effectively put a damper on the slick oozing from between his legs. His flutter of arousal had been replaced with nausea.

“Such is the way of things,” the head councilman announced above the laments of the crowd. “Six remain.”

But it quickly became five, as Sheriff Tobin came up behind the youngest Alpha as he basked briefly in his kill. Tobin’s broad hands encircled the young man’s head. With a quick jerk and harsh crack, the youngest Alpha’s neck was broken and the sheriff discarded his body in the unnaturally green grass that comprised the lawn of the town center.

“Such is the way of things,” the head councilman repeated. “Five remain in the contest to claim this young, ripe Omega.”

Sam shivered, feeling the cold air against his naked skin for the first time since he’d been led from the town hall. The sun shone bright overhead from a cloudless sky, but it did little to mitigate the chill. He thought desperately of Dean. John, too, but mostly Dean. The shame of needing to be saved by Dean would be far overshadowed by how much he needed to be saved from this nightmare he’d unwittingly stumbled into. His entire life had been a nightmare, ever since his forced turning. No, before that. Since that night Jess had burned before his eyes, and he’d been as helpless to stop that as he was to stop what was happening to him now.

One by one, the Alphas fell. Not all were dead, two were only injured, with broken bones jutting from bleeding gashes in their arms and legs. One had been knocked unconscious, and one clutched at the gaping hole where his right eye had been torn from its socket by Sheriff Tobin. The sheriff stood victorious. Panting, bruised and bleeding, but standing. Of fucking course it was Tobin, Sam thought in despair. He’d be publicly raped here by this Alpha he hated and then be dragged back to his home to be his little housebound Omega bitch for the rest of his miserable life. All he’d have to look forward to was his Alpha’s commands. _Get me a beer, ‘Meggy! Make me a sandwich, ‘Meggy! Bend over and take it, ‘Meggy!_ He knew once Tobin had knotted him, claimed him, he would have to fight even harder against his biology to keep from wanting the Alpha. He’d be bound to Tobin. Probably be marked as such, by a brand or a scarring bite, or maybe both. In this town, stuck in its Stone Age traditions, he’d be little more than Tobin’s property. His heart sank as Tobin limped his way towards the stage while the crowd cheered him on. The Alpha’s erection had waned during the battle, but it began to rise anew at the prospect of taking its prize.

“Our very own sheriff, Mr. Bert Tobin, is the winner of this Omega!”

What was Bert even short for? Sam thought absurdly as he futilely clenched his legs and tried to shield his mind from what was about to occur. Albert? Robert? Bertram? Sam should know these things, if he was going to be the man’s Omega bitch. Would he want one of his Alpha sons to be Bert Jr.? Men like that usually wanted a junior-

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Dean’s angry voice roared over the crowd, and it sounded like salvation in Sam’s ears. The last embers of hope that had been dying with every step Tobin took towards the stage sparked in Sam’s chest. Dean was here to save him. Maybe his father as well, but most importantly his big brother. Sam smiled behind his gag.

Dean made his way to the stage, pushing his way through the chaotic audience. He looked at the carnage with disdain, then at Sam’s predicament with unadulterated fury that was terrifying to behold.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Dean repeated in the same loud voice. He looked to the head councilman, rightly discerning his role of leadership. “Get him out of that thing!”

“And who are you?”

Sam had explained what he’d known of the situation in his messages, and had told Dean to pretend to be Sam’s Alpha when he arrived. Dean played the part admirably.

“My name’s Dean, and that’s my Omega you have locked up in that contraption. So let him go and we’ll be on our way.”

“I don’t think so, Dean,” the head councilman spoke coolly. “If this is, in fact, your Omega, then why is he unclaimed? Why does he behave so abysmally? No, if you are his Alpha, you’re doing it all wrong. It’s not good for him. _You’re_ not good for him.”

“That’s none of your business,” Dean snarled. “Now give me Sam.”

“No. If you want him, you’ll have to join the contest. You’ll have to claim him and beat this Alpha who just won him.”

“What the hell kind of place is this? You can’t just give people out like they’re fucking prizes!”

“Liberal nonsense,” muttered one of the councilman. Sam couldn’t see him, but he had a pretty good idea which one it was.

“Win the fight, claim your Omega, and you’ll be free to take him when you leave.”

The head councilman was firm and calm as he stared down from the stage at Dean where he stood in the grass at its foot. Sam’s brother stared defiantly back, lip curled, hand twitching at his belt for one of the many weapons Sam knew Dean had stashed there. He was afraid for a moment that Dean would try to shoot the councilman, when Sam could see several officers and security guards reaching for their own weapons. He struggled, shaking his head and yelling for Dean to be careful, but the words were muffled beyond recognition.

Dean looked at Sam, and something passed between them. Something beyond words. Something Sam couldn’t explain. Dean’s hand relaxed at his side and he shrugged.

“I kick this guy’s ass and we’re free to blow this dump? Fine, let’s do this.”

Dean assumed a fighting stance, facing Tobin. The sheriff glanced at the head councilman.

“Take off your clothes,” the head councilman directed Dean. Dean snorted.

“Are you fucking serious? Okay, fine, whatever. Freaks.”

Dean removed his jacket, flannel, and undershirt slowly, with a swagger that made Sam stupidly proud of him. He carefully removed the amulet Sam had given him all those Christmases ago, setting it gently on top of the pile of shirts. His rings and bracelets joined it. Dean kicked off his heavy boots and dark socks, unzipped his jeans and stepped out of them. He turned his head to give the crowd a rakish smirk that Sam caught the end of. Then he shucked his boxers and stood confidently nude in front of them. He faced Tobin again, resuming that fighting stance with a few modifications now that he was naked. His legs were closer together, and his hands were lower should he need to shield his genitals.

“Let’s do this,” Dean repeated fearlessly.

Sam couldn’t help but stare at his Alpha brother’s body. Dean was a powerhouse of lithe muscle. Sam was close enough to see the freckles against his pale skin, the goosebumps appearing with the cold wind. Dean’s cock and balls were large and heavy, even cold and soft as he was. His beautifully handsome face was set with self-assured determination, and his eyes gleamed with purpose. Sam felt a thrill run down his spine when he realized he was the cause of that gleam. _He_ was Dean’s purpose here.

Why the hell did that excite him so much?

“Fight for your claim!”

Dean threw himself at Tobin with the speed of a diving falcon, striking hard and fast in nose and throat before darting back out of range. Tobin snarled and sputtered, clutching at his throat, before giving chase. A very different fight ensued from the one Sam had previously witnessed. Tobin was bigger than Dean, but he was tired from the first fight and clearly lacked the training Dean had been receiving from Corporal John Winchester, Echo 2/1, since he was six years old. Tobin attacked with the same brutal ferocity as he had with the other eight Alphas, but Dean countered with a smooth agility that bordered on graceful. Tobin barrelled at him, and Dean would dodge before striking a blow to make Tobin halt and regroup. This dance continued for several minutes, and Sam understood that Dean was _playing_ with Tobin. Dean looked at Sam then, so briefly, and Sam thought he saw hunger in the gaze. An Alpha’s desire.

That tingle of arousal returned with the revelation, hot between his legs, but different than the arousal that had been forced on him earlier. He welcomed this. It felt good. Natural. Right. He squirmed in his restraints, his arms and legs stiff from being locked into position for so long. He wanted to get pressure on his little Omega cock. He wanted to feel the fullness of Dean’s Alpha cock inside his cunt, stretching and completing him, swelling to lock them together and pump him full of-

What the fuck? Where the hell had _that_ come from?

He was suddenly aware of the head councilman’s eyes on him, but he didn’t bother to glare back. He didn’t want to take his eyes off his brother. It was chilling, the precision with which Dean struck and parried without sustaining any major injury himself. Tobin was flagging, his breaths coming out as ragged gasps. There were small cuts and bruises all over his body, and he was sweating profusely despite the autumn chill. Dean’s chest heaved, but he otherwise appeared unaffected. He was so beautiful, Sam thought. So strong, so feral, yet controlled. Not controlled by anyone else, but by his own design. It was downright _hot._

“Perhaps he _is_ this one’s Alpha,” the head councilman said softly. “I pity Bert.”

Sam didn’t. At this point, a part of him wanted Dean to kill the sheriff. He tried his best to shake it off, but it persisted. He realized that if he had his way, he would kill Tobin himself. He would, but he wanted to see what Dean would do to win the fight. He took a deep breath in through his nose and surrendered control of this one thing to his Alpha brother.

“You’re lookin’ a little tired, pal,” Dean mocked Tobin. “Ready to say uncle?”

Tobin ran at Dean with teeth bared, but his movements were slow and awkward. Sam saw the moment Dean decided to end it. It was over so quickly after that. Dean planted his right leg in a lunge and used his left to sweep Tobin off his feet, using Tobin’s own momentum to help. Tobin sprawled on his stomach in the grass with a surprised grunt and Dean followed him down. He straddled the broader Alpha’s hips and put Tobin in a chokehold. Tobin bucked and clawed hopelessly at Dean’s arms, but Dean held on until Tobin’s struggles became slower and weaker from lack of blood and oxygen. After about ten seconds he was unconscious, but not dead. Sam could see his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Dean rose from his prone opponent, victorious, and turned to the stage as the head councilman declared him the winner. He ignored the screaming crowd and the council observing the proceedings. He only had eyes for Sam, and Sam only had eyes for the glory that was Dean. He was so relieved that his brother had won, so desperately happy to be saved, and so proud of Dean’s prowess. He felt that clench in his abdomen, that swell between his legs, and he _wanted_ it.

“Let him go,” Dean ordered, still looking at Sam.

“Aren’t you going to claim him now?”

The head councilman sounded genuinely confused. Sam wasn’t sure if he was okay with Dean claiming him here in front of all these people, but he did want it to happen eventually. God help him, he wanted it so badly. _True mates,_ John had said. And, yes, it was still strange, it was still terrifying, it was still an idea he wasn’t sure he believed in, but Sam realized that was where he belonged. That was where he wanted to be. He didn’t like being an Omega, didn’t fully feel like one, but if it meant being with Dean like that, then he could learn to live with it. All he could see was Dean. All he wanted was Dean. And if Dean wanted to claim him here, he wanted that, too.

“No fuckin’ way, you creep. Now untie him.”

Sam felt hands complying with Dean’s instruction, and he marveled that he felt a twinge of disappointment that Dean would not be taking him right now-

Oh god, he was thinking like an Omega. He was actually thinking like an Omega, and he didn’t hate it.

The gag was removed and he coughed.

“My- my stuff. Where’s my stuff?”

He was mainly thinking about his wallet and cell phone. Plus, Sam really liked that jacket, thin as it was.

“You heard the man,” Dean was pulling on his boxers and jeans. “Get him his stuff.”

There was the shuffle of footsteps as someone went to retrieve Sam’s clothes. The last restraint was unbuckled and Sam stood, swaying slightly as blood rushed back to his extremities. Suddenly Dean was there, wearing only his jeans and boots, jewelry replaced and amulet resting against his bare chest, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. Dean’s touch was electric, and Sam was intoxicated by the smell of him. Sweat, and musk, and that unmistakable _Alphaness_ mixed with the scents of _Dean Winchester._ It smelled like home. It smelled like _heaven._

“Here, Sammy,” Dean tied his plaid flannel shirt around Sam’s waist to preserve what little modesty he had left. “Jesus, you smell like a brothel.”

Dean teased him as only a big brother could, slipping easily back into that rapport that had been lacking since Sam’s turning. It made Sam stupidly happy.

“Oh, thanks a lot. Jerk.”

“Anytime, bitch.”

As soon as Dean said it, he looked up at Sam with a wide-eyed look of apologetic panic.

“I mean, oh god, you- you’re not a _bitch_ bitch. Uh, I mean- ”

Sam smiled, laughing, his heart warming.

“I appreciate that Dean, thanks, but I don’t mind. To tell you the truth, I kind of missed you calling me a bitch.”

Dean grinned sheepishly. Sam didn’t know why he found it so alluring.

“I don’t really know what happened there,” Dean swallowed hard, scratching the back of his neck. “But, uh, I mean you felt it, too, right?”

“Yeah, I did,” Sam assured him, feeling that same wonder rising in his chest again. “But we should talk about it once we’re out of here.”

He’d forgotten, as consumed as he was with Dean’s presence, that they were standing on a stage in front of a hundred-plus people. Not to mention the nine councilmen standing beside them within earshot of their banter. He glared at them. Just because he was beginning to accept how he had changed, and how he wanted Dean for his Alpha, didn’t mean he was going to put up with any other Alpha’s bullshit. Dean saw Sam glaring and turned to stare daggers at the council with him. They stood there in a silent, angrily united front until Delia brought Sam’s clothes to him. Sam dressed quickly as Dean replaced his shirt and jacket, relieved to have the barrier of clothing once more to protect him both from the chill air and the crowd’s hungry eyes on his changed Omega body. Then he followed Dean off the stage and through the crowd to the end of the street where the Impala had been hastily parked. Dean yelled out the window as they drove away.

“You assholes are fucking crazy!”

Sam laughed in agreement, his relief even greater now that they were leaving town.

“You let that guy live,” he remarked mildly as he stared out the passenger side window. Flat grassland stretched out on either side of the winding blacktop, broken by groves of pine and spruce. The silhouettes of gigantic mountains loomed in the distance.

“Yeah, well,” Dean grumbled. “After I got your messages, I called the FBI, the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Omega Rights Watch on that shitty little town. I may have pretended to be some government bigshot who ordered them to look into their affairs. I wanted everyone there to have to deal with _that_ clusterfuck. Even the guy that almost stole you from me.”

Dean glanced sidelong at Sam as he drove, gauging his little brother’s reaction. Sam looked right at him, grinning at Dean’s revenge. It was sweeter than his visions of blood running through the streets of that backwards little shithole of a town, with the bonus of being morally palatable. Not to mention how much pain and stress it would cause Tobin and those nine fuckers on the council. He hoped they rotted in federal prison.

“Dude, you’re awesome.”

Dean smiled proudly.

“Ain’t gotta tell _me_ that.”

“And there’s no way that guy would have stolen me from you.”

“True. It’s common knowledge that I am, in fact, _awesome.”_

“Seriously, Dean. Thank you.”

Just like that, the mood shifted. The tension that had been building between them for so long, ever since Sam had turned, heightened palpably. Dean stared intently at the road ahead. His hands gripped tighter on the steering wheel.

“Yeah, well, how the fuck did you end up there in the first place? You take off without a word, disappear for two days- Dad was _pissed_ by the way- and then I get a buncha voicemails sayin’ you’ve been locked up and they’re gonna have a- a _claiming contest_ for you like we’re back in the fuckin’ Middle Ages or something.”

Dean’s tirade sounded as panicked as Sam knew he must have felt when he first got those calls. He felt guilty for running away. Again.

“I’m sorry, Dean, I just- I heard you and Dad talking in the motel. All that true mates stuff, and I didn’t- I _couldn’t-_ ”

Sam trailed off when he saw Dean’s face reddening in embarrassment. He wouldn’t look at Sam, not even out of the corner of his eye.

“Shit, you heard all that?”

“Yeah.”

“So you ran?”

“Yeah. I- I just got so fucking scared, I had to take off. Process it.”

“Sam, you know I would never have forced you- ” Dean’s voice was nearly shrill with panicked adamance.

“No, god, I know that. I think- I think I was afraid that it was true. That I might want it. Want you.”

After that admission it was Sam’s turn to look away. It was a big confession to make, and he was shocked by his daring. He felt blood rush to his face, and his ears burned.

“Really?”

There was no fear or disgust in the simple question. There was a hopeful suspicion to the word, as if Dean couldn’t quite believe Sam had meant what he’d said, but he wanted more than anything for it to be true.

“Yeah.”

Sam let out a gust of air from his lungs, imagining the fear, anger, and shame leaving his body with it. It wouldn’t be that easy, he knew, but in this moment he pushed all of it to the side. All that he saw was Dean. All he felt was Dean. All he needed was Dean.

“Pull over, Dean.”

“Sammy?”

Dean looked at him, breathing hard, eyes blown wide with lust. His Alpha smell permeated the Impala, and Sam felt his desire grow. His cunt quivered, hot and wet and ready for his chosen Alpha’s knot.

“I’m serious, Dean. Pull the fuck over.”

The Alpha Winchester peeled off the road so fast there was a screech of tires. A convenient dirt road led them into one of those groves of verdant evergreens. Dean had barely twisted the key from the ignition before he was on Sam, hands roaming over the Omega’s back. Sam kissed him hard, sucking at his brother’s plump lips, tongue exploring the crevices of Dean’s mouth while Dean’s tongue returned the favor. The clothes they had so recently donned came off quickly, shirts, jeans, jackets, and jewelry flying all over the Impala’s cab. Dean ripped off Sam’s boxers, the sound of tearing fabric exciting the Omega into a frenzy.

“Oh god, knot me, Dean! Claim me!”

Dean moaned, hoarse and longing.

“Are- are you sure?”

“Yes! God- fuck- yes!”

Dean grabbed Sam’s legs and pulled him supine across the Impala’s bench seat. Sam was too tall to fit, so he bent his knees, presenting himself for Dean where the Alpha crouched between his legs. He didn’t care that he was showing Dean his dripping hole or his tiny Omega genitals; it was Dean. He could see. He could touch.

Dean brushed a finger over Sam’s cunt, gauging his readiness. The light touch sent shivers of anticipation over every inch of Sam’s skin. His brother was quite adept at this. All of his partners, both Betas and Omegas, had taught him what to do. Where to do it. When to do it. But Dean would never have claimed another Omega before. He was just as new to this part as Sam was.

The Alpha took the Omega’s cock between thumb and forefinger, rubbing and squeezing until arousal pulsed from between Sam’s legs. To his amazement, he felt the little nub harden. Slick oozed from the tip of his cock, running down to mingle with the greater emission from his cunt. He bucked his hips and moaned.

“Do it,” he panted. “Please, just fucking do it.”

“What about- neither of us are on suppressants- what if you get pregnant?”

Sam was too far gone to give a shit about any of that. More than that, he _wanted_ it. He wanted Dean’s cock, his come, his knot, his pups, all of it. The Omega inside of him had been unleashed, and it wanted _everything._

“Good- fuckin’ do it, fill me up with pups- just do it now!”

He may not know who and what he was, might never know, but right now none of that mattered. All that mattered was him and Dean. All that mattered was that it would always be him and Dean, joined and mated, Alpha and Omega, forever.

Dean had been showing remarkable restraint thus far. Another sign of his strength, Sam thought proudly. But Sam’s words had spurred him past the threshold of reason, and Sam watched with a thrill of arousal and just the hint of danger as the Alpha took over. Dean growled, pushing Sam’s knees even wider apart. His cock had been straining against the cotton of his boxers, huge and heavy, and he took himself out through the fly. He stroked himself once, twice, and then he dived on top of Sam, thrusting that Alpha cock home. It slid inside Sam so easily, and once the initial burn had passed and Sam wrapped his head around the strange feeling of being penetrated rather than penetrating, the Omega closed his eyes and relished the feeling of being stretched open under his brother’s power. He wanted more. He needed more.

“You good?” Dean asked breathlessly.

“Not if you don’t _move,_ damn it!”

And move Dean did. Up and down, over and over, making Sam gasp and buck and squeal beneath him. It didn’t take the Omega long to climax. He’d been holding this part of himself back for so many months, and when it finally burst from him it was like fireworks between his legs and behind his eyes.

“Oh my god- oh my god- ”

“Yeah,” Dean grinned smugly. “That’s what they all say.”

Sam felt the rush of Dean’s orgasm filling him. The Alpha grunted in satisfaction, his knot flaring.

“You sure you want this, Sam?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

Sam could feel the bulbous knot of Dean’s cock expanding inside him, tying them together. That burned a little, but he liked it. It felt good. Right. Fear flared inside him briefly when he realized it was now too late to change his mind, but then he looked up at Dean’s face, sweating and glowing with his release, and he knew he’d made the right choice.

“You’re not gonna bite me, are you?” Sam teased lightly. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Nah, I was thinking I’d tattoo something on your ass. _Property of Dean Winchester_ or something like that.”

“Classy.”

Dean’s arms were shaking from the strain of holding himself over Sam. He let himself collapse on top of Sam, nuzzling tenderly at his little brother’s neck as his arms encircled Sam’s shoulders. His knot expanded and contracted inside Sam and Sam’s knees squeezed around Dean’s waist in response.

“I can’t believe you let me do that,” Dean’s tone was awestruck with gratitude, reverberating in Sam’s ear. “I mean, Jesus, Sammy, this is a big fuckin’ deal. Especially for you.”

“Well, what about you? Bet you never expected to be mated. People will be able to smell it on you, it’ll be harder to get those random hook-ups you love so much.”

“I’ll deal.”

Sam was amazed by the depth of devotion in Dean’s voice. In his embrace. He was honored by that devotion.

“Thanks, Sam. Seriously. I know this ain’t easy for you. I know it’s my fault you got turned, and you still gave this to me.”

“I don’t blame you,” Sam told him truthfully. “All that anger, it wasn’t at you. I just took it out on you because you were treating me like some sort of fragile child. I hated feeling so weak. I still hate it, though I guess I should get used to it.”

Dean raised his head slightly to look at Sam.

“Sam, you ain’t weak. You’re like the strongest person I know.”

“Yeah, right,” Sam scoffed. “Just ‘cause I’m your mate now doesn’t mean you have to lie to me. I’m a big boy, I can take it.”

“You really think you’re weak?” Dean was completely bewildered. “There’s more to strength than how much you can bench press, you know. You’ve always been the strong one. Still are.”

There was a tightness in Sam’s chest as Dean’s words washed over him. He wasn’t sure if he believed them, but knowing that Dean believed them made his confidence soar. He knew Dean was right about the nature of strength. He could still be strong

The Winchesters stayed tied together for over an hour. When Dean’s knot finally deflated and he slipped out of Sam, Sam briefly mourned the loss of him. He comforted himself with the thought that this time was just the first of many. He and Dean were mates, true mates. They’d have a lifetime together.

They spent the night there, wrapped up in each other. Both were stiff and sore in the morning, but neither cared much.

“So, where are we going?” Sam asked once they’d both dressed and Dean was guiding the Impala back onto the highway.

“Dad found a possible lead on old Yellow Eyes. We’re gonna go meet up with him.”

Sam’s blood boiled at the mention of Jess and his mother’s murderer. It was enough to quell his fear and embarrassment about facing his father after this.

“You still okay, Sammy?”

Dean was looking at him with concern, but it was a different kind of concern than he’d shown the past few months. This was the concern of a brother. A mate. An equal.

“Yeah.”

Sam breathed in deeply, the smell of his Alpha grounding him. There would be hard times ahead, from forces both internal and external, but he’d get through them. _They’d_ get through them.

“Yeah. Let’s get to work.”

Dean smiled at Sam and pressed his foot on the gas. The Impala’s engine purred south down I-25.


End file.
